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PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

1890. 



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PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B, LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

1890. 



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Copyright, 1890, by J. B. LirriNCOTT Company, 



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IOWA. 



Iowa, one of the United States of America, extends 
from 40° ^6' to 43° 30' N. lat, and from 90° 15' to 
96° 38' W. long., and has an area of 55,475 sq. m. 
It is bounded on the N. by Minnesota, on the E. by 
the Mississippi River, on the S. by the state of Mis- 
souri, and on the W. by the Missouri and Big Sioux 
rivers. The cHmate is continental, with cold winters, 
hot summers, and sudden changes of temperature. 
The autumns are beautiful and of long duration. 
The mean temperature of the year is 47°, and the 
annual rainfall about 33 inches. Iowa is noted for its 
healthfulness, the annual death-rate being only 1 19 in 
every I0,000 of population. The surface is a rolling 
prairie; there are no mountains, and hills or bluffs 
can only be found along the principal streams. The 
average elevation is not far from 900 feet. The 
highest point (1694 feet) is about 70 miles E. of the 
north-west corner of the state, and the lowest (444 
feet) at the confluence of the Des Moines River with 
the Mississippi. The soil is unsurpassed in richness 
and productiveness, all the land being tillable except 
a few rocky bluffs near the large rivers. Natural 



4 /OPVyi. 

forests cover the slopes that intervene between the 
rivers and the high lands, and since the cessation of 
the destructive prairie-fires the area of woodland has 
been steadily increasing. Iowa has also extensive 
and valuable mineral deposits, as coal, lead, gypsum, 
limestone, clay, and mineral paints. The coal, which 
is bituminous and of good quality, extends over an 
area of nearly 20,000 sq. m., and above 4 million tons 
have been raised annually of late years. The Mis- 
sissippi on the eastern, and the Missouri on the west- 
ern border are navigable. To both of these are 
tributary a number of inland rivers, those of the 
Mississippi system flowing in a south-easterly, and 
those of the Missouri system in a south-westerly 
direction. The Upper Iowa, Turkey, Maquoketa, 
Wapsipinicon, Iowa (with its large affluent the Cedar), 
Skunk, and Des Moines rivers are the principal 
tributaries of the Mississippi. The rivers of the Mis- 
souri system are the Big Sioux, Rock, Floyd's, Little 
Sioux, Boyer, and Nishnabotony. There are also 
several small lakes in the northern portion of the 
state, situated principally near the great water-sheds. 
Iowa is pre-eminently an agricultural state. The 
nature of the surface offers excellent facilities for the 
use of agricultural machinery, and makes farming 
attractive and profitable. Nearly two-thirds of the 
34 million acres of tillable land are now under culti- 
vation, producing annually 300 million bushels of 
maize, 30 million bushels of wheat, 60 million bushels 
of oats, 4 million bushels of barley, 2j4 million 
bushels of flax, i}4 million bushels of buckwheat, 
half a million bushels of rye, 6 million tons of hay, 



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2 million gallons of sorghum-syrup, lo million 
bushels of potatoes, lOO million pounds of butter, 5 
million pounds of cheese, 2 million pounds of wool, 
and 32 million dozen eggs. The number and value 
of live-stock in 1888 were as follows: horses, 
1,003,022, valued at ^^74,032,082; cattle, 3,350,685, 
valued at ^71,899,974; mules, 45,649, valued at 
^3»936,540; swine, 4,148,811, valued at ^27,969,624; 
sheep, 408,478, valued at $i,22S,434' The total 
annual value of all agricultural products may be fairly 
estimated at 275 million dollars. While Iowa has 
good water-power, cheap fuel, and excellent trans- 
portation facilities, the development of its manufac- 
turing interests has been but slow. In 1880 the 
number of manufacturing establishments was 6921 ; 
the number of persons employed in them, 28,372; 
and the value of their annual products, ^71,045,926. 
Among the leading articles of manufacture are flour- 
ing and grist mill products, packed meats and canned 
goods, sawed lumber, carriages and wagons, sad- 
dlery, agricultural implements, furniture, bricks and 
tiles, foundry products, woollen goods, and clothing. 
The commerce is chiefly domestic. The principal 
exports are agricultural and dairy products, coal, 
gypsum, and lead; the imports, groceries and manu- 
factured goods. The state has 8346 miles of railway. 
The legislative authority is vested in the general 
assembly, consisting of two houses, the senate (50 
members) and house of representatives (100), and 
meeting in regular session in January of each even- 
numbered year. The supreme executive power is 
vested in a governor, who is elected for a term of two 



^ IOWA. 



years. The supreme court consists of five judges, 
elected for a term of six years. The state is divided 
into ninety-nine counties, and is represented in the 
national congress by two senators and eleven repre- 
sentatives. The educational policy of the state is 
most liberal. Schools are established in every dis- 
trict, and must be kept in operation at least six 
months each year. The school-system embraces the 
district and high school, the state university, state 
normal :school, and state agricultural college. In 
1888 there were 22,869 teachers and 15,465 common 
schools. These were maintained by an expenditure 
of ;^6,4o6,570, and attended by A77^^^ P^P^^^- ^^^^ 
has the lowest percentage of illiteracy of any state 
in the Union (ro2 per cent, in 1885). The value of 
property is estimated at 2000 million dollars. The 
taxes levied in 1888 for the support of the state gov- 
ernment were ^1,554,726, and the taxes levied for all 
purposes ;^I5P3S.9I2. 

The territory of the state of Iowa formed part of 
the ' Louisiana Purchase.' After Iowa had succes- 
sively been under the jurisdiction of the territorial 
governments of Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin, 
it was organised as a separate territory on the 4th of 
July 1838, with Burlington as its capital. It had 
then sixteen counties and a population of 22,860. 
The following year the general assembly located the 
seat of government at Iowa City. On 28th December 
1846 the state was admitted into the Union, with a 
population of nearly 100,000. In 1856 Des Moines 
became the permanent capital. Iowa's population in 
1850 was 192,214; in i860, 674,913; in 1870, 



lOPVA. y 

1,194,020; in 1880, 1,624,615; and in 1885, 1,753,980. 
In 1885 there were forty-three towns of from 2000 to 
10,000 inhabitants, and eleven cities of more than 
10,000, the latter being Des Moines (32,469), Dubuque 
(26,330), Davenport (23,830), Burlington (23,459), 
Council Bluffs (21,557), Sioux City (19,060), Cedar 
Rapids (15,426), Keokuk (13,151), Clinton (12,012), 
Ottumwa (10,506), and Muscatine (10,389). 



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